The Nightfinder
by MusicKingdom
Summary: When Aria first moved to Mystic Falls, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. But, after two years, a stranger she's never seen before with clear blue eyes and black hair approaches her in the hallway - and he's hungry.
1. Chapter 1

I hit the button on the water machine over and over before finally deciding that nothing was going to come out. Clenching my fist, I crumpled the foam cup in my hand before tossing it in the bin and heading over to my locker to put away my books before heading home.

Already, people had begun to thin out and I was about to leave when someone caught my eye. He had black hair and clear blue eyes that were staring right at me, and he looked too old to go here, I most definitely hadn't seen him before, so I felt a little nervous when he started walking towards me. He towered over me, as I'm not very tall, and then leant over slightly so his eyes were level with mine, his face too close to mine for comfort.

At first I thought he was going to kiss me, and I had my hand ready and waiting to slap him square across the face, but instead he started speaking.

'You will follow me, and will not say a word.' His pupils shrank down into tiny dots and then reverted back to their original size, and then he turned and started walking away. I wasn't sure what to do, but I was pretty sure if I didn't do what he said then I would be in more trouble, so I followed. He led me to an empty classroom, ordered me to sit down on one of the tables and then sat down next to me, once again moving his face close to mine. 'Don't make a move or sound.' His eyes did the weird pupil move again, and then he started to move towards my neck. Ok, now I was sure he was going to kiss me.

I slapped him. Hard.

'What the hell?' I said, climbing off the table. He looked up at me, his face full of confusion. I could see the red mark my hand had left on his cheek, but as soon as I noticed it, it disappeared. He stood up and looked at me.

'Oh God. Are you a vampire?' He asked.

'What? There's no such thing! And how come that mark just disappeared? Surely I hit you harder than-'. Before I knew it he advanced on me and pinned me down on the floor. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth, stopping any sound coming out of it at all. All in one quick and sudden movement he picked me up and carried me through the window, travelling so fast the whole world was a blur.

After a few seconds he stopped and placed me down, and once I had recovered from feeling like I was going to throw up, I realised that I was standing inside a large living room. The stranger who took me here was standing in front of me, staring, and another person came and stood next to him.

'Damon, who's this?' He asked.

'She can't be compelled. And she isn't a vampire. She doesn't even know about them.'

'And she also has a name.' I butted in, irritably. They didn't respond.

'What do you mean? Like not at all?' The stranger who I had just met looked confused, but then he walked up to me and said 'I'm going to tell you to do some things, and you need to try as hard as you can _not_ to do them.' He noticed my worried expression. 'Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you.' After that, he stepped close to me and looked me in the eyes, much like the other person did, and I felt incredibly nervous as once again his pupils shrank down into tiny dots. 'Turn around.' He ordered. I stood still and he frowned. 'Turn around.' He repeated, slower. Once again I stood still.

Damon then came and stood next to him.

'She must be on vervain.' He concluded. 'Who are you?'

'I think you should answer that first.' I replied, getting slightly annoyed that they weren't telling me anything. Damon let out a slightly frustrated sigh.

'Have you ever heard of vampires?' He asked. I nodded.

'But they're not real, right? They're just in books and movies.' I replied, with an obvious hint of doubt in my voice. Damon shook his head.

'Nope. I'm Damon and this is Stefan. We're vampires.'

I looked at both of them, not sure what to believe. Vampires _aren't _real. They can't be. I shook my head.

'That can't be true.' I said, but uncertainty was still clear in the way I said it. 'You're crazy.'

Damon laughed, and was beginning to scare me a little. 'Oh really? If I'm not a vampire, then how did I manage to carry you almost four miles from your school to this how within less than three seconds?' I shook my head again, not sure what to say, and then Damon opened his mouth, showing me two long fangs that appeared from his teeth. Before I could respond, Stefan turned to face Damon.

'What were you doing at the school?'

Damon let his fangs disappear and he closed his mouth, looking uncomfortable.

'I may have gotten a little hungry.'

'What's wrong with a blood bag?' Stefan frowned

'I'm just so bored of them.'

'So you chose a school of all places to go feed? Damon! Feeding of people is bad, but students?'

'Feeding?' I interrupted. 'Where you going to _eat_ me?' Damon laughed.

'Well, if you put it that way.'

* * *

**What do you think? Please review! **

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

Stefan wasn't so amused.

"Damon. What are we going to do with her? There's somebody giving her vervain without telling her for a reason."

"We could keep her here, let the vervain leave her system and then compel her again to see if she knows anything else." Immediately I did not like where this conversation was going.

"Keep me here? No!" I start to back away, but Damon grabs my hand.

"Please? Just for a few days?"

I pull as much as my muscles will allow but he is too strong, and pain sears through my wrist from his unnaturally strong grip.

"Let go of me!"

Instead, he pulls me toward him and once again I feel myself being carried at high speed, although this time I am not put down so gently. My knees connect with a cold hard surface, and the rest of my body quickly follows. Blinking, I look up to see a heavy metal door slam shut, followed by the clunk of a lock. There's no way I'm getting out of here.

I stand up and brush the dust off of my legs before walking over to the door. Even though I know it's no use, I slam my shoulder into the door with as much force physically possible for someone my size. Over and over again I throw my weight against it until I no longer can, and then slide down the door until I am sitting with my back against it. It's only then that I take in what the room actually looks like. The walls are made of brick and there's a metal heater in the corner on my right, but it looks like it doesn't actually work.

It's cold and my summer uniform offers no warmth against it, so I rub my hands up and down my arms. Pain throbs through my upper left arm where I collided with the door, and a dull ache passes through my wrist from Damon's iron grip, which I attempt to massage out, only giving up when it just gets worse.

The back wall is made of brick and I look around in hope of another way out, but I can't see one. I rest my head against the door and close my eyes for a moment. What will my father think when I don't come home?

Once, when I was younger, I strayed too far from the house and got lost. I walked for hours on end looking for some place I knew, before my father finally found me and took me home. I remember the frown he wore as he told me never to do it again, the look of disappointment as he sent me to my room, even the worried expression when he first found me. What will he think when I'm gone for days? Maybe even weeks. And he can't scoop me up and take me home this time.

I pull myself up and begin pacing the room. I've got to get out somehow. How? Once again I find myself searching the room for another way of escape, even though I know that there isn't. Every second that passes I get more and more anxious to get out; until I have paced so long that the balls of my feet have gone numb, yet I continue.

Once it feels physically impossible to carry on I sit and rest against one of the brick walls, leaning my head back against it. Tiredness begins to take over my body and I try to fight it, because I would rather sleep anywhere than near Stefan and Damon, but before I know it I find myself falling into a restless sleep, my dreams quickly turning into nightmares.

. . .

"Hey."

I jerk awake as a hand grabs onto my shoulder. I realise it is Stefan crouched in front of me, but that does not make me feel any less alarmed, even though his voice is soft, not hostile like how Damon's would be. In his hand he has a plate of toast which he offers to me, and I take it. Only now I realise how hungry I am, taking huge bites and swallowing them whole.

"You thirsty?"

I nod.

He stands up with the now empty plate and speeds away in a blur, so fast that if I had blinked I would have missed it, before returning with a full glass of water. I take it gratefully, drinking the entire glass in seconds, then pull myself up, all of my stiff muscles protesting, and give it back to him.

"When can I leave?"

"When the vervain leaves your system. So we can compel you to tell us the truth as to why it's there in the first place." He bends over and picks up the empty plate, balancing the glass on top.

I fold my arms.

"I'm not lying. I think I'd know if someone was putting, whatever that is, in me."

"How am I supposed to know that?"

I ignore his question by looking around the room. The door is open wide, I could just run out if I wanted, but I know that would be foolish since he is much faster than me. Instead I pace again, and my feet remind me that I did it far too long yesterday. Stefan watches me for a few seconds, and then shakes his head and laughs.

"Don't your feet hurt? You were doing that all last night."

"How would you know that?" I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I could hear you. I was trying to sleep but all I could hear was you stomping around."

"Why would you care anyway?" I stop and lean my back against the wall. If he's willing to leave me locked up for days then why should he care if my feet are a bit sore?

"No reason. Just take it easy. We'll try to compel you again tonight and see if the vervain's gone yet." He turns towards the door to go.

"Wait."

As he turns back, I notice the colour of his eyes – a light brown mixed with blue – and it takes me a second to remember what I was about to say.

"What's vervain?" I ask.

He looks at me for a moment, as if he's unsure if what I asked is genuine.

"It's an herb. It stops vampires compelling you to do as they say."

I nod, slowly.

"Right. And compulsion is that weird thing you do with your eyes, and I'm supposed to do everything you ask?"

Stefan nods.

"Well, I've never heard of it before."

"Tell that to me tonight, when the vervain has left your system." He says, then turns and closes the door behind him and locking it.

. . .

When the evening finally comes I don't even know, as there is no light down in this cell I've been put inside. I'm sitting, my back against the furthest wall, when the door swings open and Damon strides inside, Stefan following. He pulls me up roughly by my arm, the arm that's still a little sore from crashing into the door repetitively, and I wince.

"Turn around," he says, looking me in the eye and letting go of my arm. I glare at him and stand still, massaging the pain from my shoulder. He throws his hands up and turns away. "Dammit!"

My cheek twitches and I grin as he storms out of the room, I don't know why, but it comforts me when I get under his skin. It's nice to get him back, since he's locked me in here for a whole day.

Stefan lingers, as though unsure whether to follow Damon or not. He looks at me suspiciously, and then backs away, locking the door behind him. I lie down against the wall, shut my eyes, and sleep.

. . .

"Get up!"

Once again I am jerked awake, but this time it's by Damon. He pulls me up onto my feet, and I let out a long yawn, stretching my arms to get rid of the stiffness that's built up inside of them.

"Why so early? It must be like fi-"

"Oh, shut up." He looks me in the eye, his eyes shrinking down again. This time, I play along. I want to see his reaction when I finally act compelled.

I pretend my voice catches in my throat, and I put on the best 'scared' face I can manage – and it seems to work. At first he raises his eyebrows, but then he nods, looking like he expected it.

"Turn around."

I turn, trying to look slightly robotic, and when I face him again he is smiling.

"Now tell me, why have you got vervain? And why is it in your system?"

This time it takes me a while to answer, but I want to keep up the act a little longer.

"My friends were talking about vampires, how they were real, and it scared me." I try to make my voice sound monotone, like its being forced out of me. "They said that if I had vervain in my system it would stop you from controlling me, so I drank some and it worked."

I seem to be better at lying then I thought.

"What's your name?"

"Willow" I say, using the first name that springs to mind – the name of one of my friends.

"Willow… what?"

"Harper." This time I take my dog's name, but the thought makes me want to laugh and the corner of my mouth twitches. Stefan, who I had not noticed was watching from a distance, shakes his head.

"She's lying."

I smile and step back, feeling triumphant. Damon, on the other hand, looks furious.

"Dammit!" He turns to face Stefan. "What are we going to do now? If she can't be compelled then…"

"Then you should let me go," I finish his sentence for him. He looks at me for a moment, but then looks away, completely blanking out what I just said.

"She has a point, Damon," Stefan says, breaking him out of his thought bubble. "I'm guessing that she probably has friends – family who will be looking for her. The longer we keep her here, the more anxious they will get."

I moved here two years ago, and transferred to Mystic Falls High School. At first I didn't know anyone, and I will never forget that feeling of isolation when I had to try find a place to fit in, when everyone knew everyone and I knew no one. But then, slowly, friendships began to form, and important bonds were made. I had friends, friends who now will be incredibly worried about the fact that I've been missing for nearly two days.

Damon takes a few steps away, and then turns back.

"Yeah. She has family. _Family._ And they may know more than she does." He points at me.

"_She _has a name, you know."

I know that I am pushing it, as he already hates me, but he just raises his eyebrows at me.

"And no, it's not Willow. And my second name isn't Harper either."

"So what is it then?"

I fold my arms.

"Now, why would I want to tell you that?"

It appears that I have just crossed the line.

Damon races towards me faster than I can comprehend, and before I know it, I am pinned against the wall and his hands are around my throat. I gasp for air, but it doesn't come, so I try to fight him off, even though I know I'm not strong enough.

"Stop being a pain. I want to know who the hell you are, and if I can't compel it out of you, I will have to use force."

All I can respond with is some animal like gagging sounds. Somewhere I hear Stefan tell Damon to stop, but I can't tell where, as I am too focused on trying to breathe. I feel his hands being pulled away, and I drop to the ground, gulping in as much air that I can pull into my lungs.

"Aria," I spit out. "My name's Aria."

As it turned out, Stefan had wrestled Damon off of me and is currently holding him back, but when he hears me he just rolls his eyes.

"Finally." Stefan lets go of him and walks toward me, and I shuffle backwards to get away from him.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. And I won't let him either." He casts an irritable look at Damon before offering his hand to me. Unsure, I slowly reach out and take hold of it and he pulls me up, but it's different to how Damon jerked me up earlier. He's much gentler, and manages not to pull my arm out of its socket, which is a good sign.

"Look, Damon, I don't care what you do to her, so long as you don't hurt her. We've got enough problems on our hands."

"Look, _Stefan_, I don't care one bit about her. If she can't be compelled then that means she is trouble, and I need answers. There are enough supernatural's in Mystic Falls, we don't need any more. So, I want answers, Aria." He faces me.

"No." I speak before Stefan does. There is a glint in Damon's eye that suggests he is not going to try to avoid violence to get these 'answers'. They both turn to face me.

"No. I won't tell you where they are. You won't be able to find them."

"I am not afraid to hurt you, Aria."

"_Damon_"

Before even Stefan could stop him, I once again feel his hands grab my neck, but this time ten times worse.

"What is your surname?"

The only sound that manages to escape is a faint "No."

His hands tighten even more, and black spots begin to appear in the corners of my vision. I hear Stefan yell from somewhere, and the grip loosens, but I still can't get any air past the invisible barrier that has formed in my throat.

Stefan's face swims into view, and he bites his wrist and presses it to my mouth, telling me to drink. Immediately a burning sensation spreads over my lips, into my mouth and down my neck. I attempt to let out a scream of agony, but instead all I can do is let out this half-cough/half-gag, until finally the darkness takes over completely and I slip into a state of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

When I open my eyes I find that I am in a room unfamiliar to me, the interior mostly made of a dark type of wood that my muddled brain can't recognise. On my right heavy curtains are pulled back from the window to allow sunlight to stream into the room, dancing across the colourful Persian carpet. The bed that I am laying upon is a huge, super king sized marshmallow of comfort, and I would love to just spread out across it, but it isn't mine.

This brings me to realization. Whose bed is this? Where am I? I look to my right and see Stefan sitting next to me.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

I attempt to speak, but no sound comes out as my throat feels like it is on fire. Stefan notices this and he quickly pulls himself up, blurs away, and then appears back again a moment's later holding large glass of water.

"Here."

I manage to finish the entire glass in a mere few seconds and immediately feel relief spread throughout my mouth. Even so, when I speak my voice is still a little scratchy.

"Why is it that you always start a conversation by making me drink a glass of water?"

He smiles. "Are you feeling ok?"

"If by 'ok' you mean 'it feels like there are a hundred daggers in my throat' then yeah, I guess I'm 'ok'." I pull myself up into a more comfortable position on the bed. "Where am I?"

"You're in one of our guest rooms. You've been out for nearly two days."

That doesn't at all surprise me. What does is the fact that he said 'one of' his guest rooms, which makes me wonder how large this place is. The only other place I have been in, except for this room, is the cell, and just the thought of that place brings back memories of Damon all of a sudden, and a knot forms tightly in my stomach.

"How did you stop him? Damon, I mean."

"I broke his neck."

"You- what? I thought you were brothers?"

"We are, but he was going to kill you, so, I had to stop him." He shrugs as if it is no big deal.

"You didn't have to _kill_ him!"

Stefan opens his mouth to reply, but closes it when Damon strides into the room. _Damon._ He looks at both at us suspiciously, and all I can do is lay there with my mouth wide open.

"Did I miss something?" He asks as Stefan stands up and places himself protectively in between his brother and me, but not obscuring my vision.

I manage to find my voice eventually. "You-you're supposed to be dead?"

"Am I?" He looks at Stefan, who had covered his mouth to supress a grin.

"I'm sorry Aria. I was just about to say, breaking a vampires neck won't actually kill them. The only way you can kill a vampire is a steak through the heart."

"Or removing a vital organ." Damon adds in.

I nod. "Ok. So is there anything else that I probably need to know?"

"Do you really know nothing about vampires?" Damon looks slightly shocked.

"Nope. Although, I've seen twilight. You don't sparkle, do you?"

"Please don't tell me you actually _like_ that." Stefan shakes his head. "We are immortal though."

I am just about to reply to this when someone else enters into the room. She has dark eyes and matching brown hair with a single red streak, and walks over to Damon.

"Hi, I got your message." She wraps her hand around his waist. "You must be Aria. I'm Elena- wait, I know you. You go to Mystic High, don't you?"

I'm still getting over the fact that someone like Damon actually has a girlfriend, when I realise that she had just asked me a question. Quickly, I nod in reply, and she smiles. Now that I've looked at her properly, I recognise her. She's actually in the year above me, but I've heard a lot of tragic stories about her; about how her parents died in a car crash, or something along those lines.

Hold on, if she knows Stefan and Damon, does that mean…

"Are you a vampire?" I blurt out.

"Yep. But that's not the problem." She takes a step towards me. "What are you?"

"I'm afraid I can't really help you there." I pull myself up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed so I'm facing Stefan, but I stay seated for fear that I may not yet be strong enough to stand, and I don't feel like embarrassing myself any more that I already have. "What actually happened? I mean, apart from breaking Damon's neck."

A look of guilt crosses his face for a moment, before he says, "Well, Damon tried to choke you to death, as you probably realised. He almost did, and I thought you were gone so I tried to feed you some of my blood to heal you."

This didn't make any sense to me, and he must have noticed my confusion as he added in, "Vampire blood can heal almost anything. For humans, that is. I thought that it would do the same for you too, but I was wrong. You rejected it, as you coughed it all back up."

"Not a pretty sight." Damon almost seemed to be pleased with this, but I ignore him as I don't really have the energy to argue with him. Thankfully Elena stops him talking by walking up to me.

"Look. I know that telling us, of all people, where you live is probably the last thing you want to do right now. But we really need to talk to your family, and I promise I would never hurt them. I've lost too many of my own to ever want to put anyone through the same pain I have been through."

Stefan nods, as if he is agreeing to Elena's promise. Somehow, I actually trust both of them. Damon, on the other hand, not so much. I point to him.

"He isn't coming."

In response he rolls his eyes. "Come _on_. I wouldn't want to hurt them, if they have answers."

"Damon, I don't think she really trusts you." Elena puts her hand on his shoulder. "I think it would be better if you stayed here."

"Fine, fine." It's amazing how well he listens to her. "You go. I'll wait right here for you." Something about the way he says that last sentence makes me feel uneasy, but before I can say anything he strides out the room.

"So," Elena turns from facing the door so she is looking between us. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight." I say before Stefan has a chance to reply. I want to get out of here soon, but I need time to prepare. My father is going to be upset, especially when he finds out that vampires are real, so I need to make sure I'm ready to explain everything to him.

. . .

The last few rays of the sun slip behind the roofs of the houses I walk past. Stefan walks alongside me and Elena is just a few steps behind, clearly wanting to keep her distance from him for some reason, but I don't comment. I don't want to make things any more awkward than they already are.

My stomach twists at the sight of my house, the curtains already drawn, flowers drooping in their pots, from first glance you would think nobody was home, but a single light is on in the downstairs window, so I know my father is there.

I hesitate before knocking on the front door, taking in a deep breath, then raising my hand and tapping lightly three times. It takes so long before I hear any response that I am about to knock again, but as I lift my hand, the door swings open and I am greeted with a very distraught looking father.

"Aria?" He looks shocked for a long time, like he cannot actually believe that I am standing in front of him, before a huge smile creeps upon his face, and he pulls me into a tight hug, refusing to let go. Just as I begin to lose the feelings in my arms, he pulls back, still holding on firmly with both hands like he's afraid to let go, and he looks over my shoulder at Stefan and Elena. "Who are you?"

"They are here to ask you some questions," I answer for them. "About me."

I watch the confusion flicker in his eyes for a moment, but then his face turns stern.

"No." He lets go of one of my arms but tightens his grip on the other.

"Dad, please. They won't hurt you. Or me."

"No." He takes a step towards the house, and attempts to pull me with him, but I manage to wriggle out of his grip. At the same time, Stefan speeds around us so that he is standing in between my father and the door.

"She's telling the truth. Please, we just want to know a few things, and I would never hurt her."

I nod frantically in agreement, and he looks between us for a while before finally saying,

"Fine, fine." Stefan moves aside so he can walk back inside, and I follow him for a moment, then stop when I notice both Stefan and Elena standing awkwardly at the edge of the door.

"Uh, who owns this house?" Stefan asks. My dad stops walking and turns back to face them.

"I do." He looks at them both for a moment. "You're vampires."

It took me a moment to realise what he had just said. My father had just acknowledged that vampires were real. No, not just acknowledged. _Confirmed_ that they existed. He has known all along about vampires, and I feel shocked at how he has kept it from me.

"Wait- you know?" He faces me, and then takes a step towards me and looks me in the eyes, his expression serious.

"Aria, I need you to answer me honestly. Can we trust them? We're inside so they can't get to us, so if they've told you to get me to trust them, then-"

"No, you can trust them." I cut him off. He just nods quickly before turning back to face them.

"Okay, you can come in. Both of you. But," he stops them as they begin to step inside, "if you try anything, I am fully prepared to fight you." He squares his shoulders gives them a warning glance before gesturing towards the front room, and I close the door behind them. As they go on ahead I pause for a moment, trying to get my head around the fact that my father has kept such a huge secret from me for my entire life. Never before have I seen my father act so hostile and unwelcoming, but I am shaken out of this brief daze when I hear shouting emerging from behind the door around the corner.

The scene that greets me as I rush into the front room only a few moments after they had disappeared inside takes me by major surprise. In the time it took me to run no more than seven steps, Elena and Stefan had my father pinned against the wall, and they appeared to be trying to get something off of him while he continues to struggle against their iron vampire strength.

I sprint over and try and help him, just as Elena manages to pry a silver watch off of his wrist. She manages to hold it for only a few seconds, as it immediately begins to hiss and a small wisp of steam rises from in between her fingers, and she throws it on the floor. Once she does this, they both back away, and Elena kicks the watch under one of the worn down sofas behind them.

"What was that all about?" I ask. I don't know whether I should be angry, or scared, or both. "I thought you said you weren't going to hurt anyone."

"We didn't." Elena shakes her head. "He had vervain on him, so we weren't going to be able to get any answers from him if we knew he could be lying."

Stefan nods. "And the fact that he does have vervain on him means that he can be compelled, unlike you."

Before I have time to comment on any of this, Elena steps forward.

"So," she drops down onto the sofa nearest her, and Stefan sits on one as far away from her as he can get, which happens to be next to me. My dad slowly sits down on the only chair left, a small wooden one that still manages to look polished after twenty years, and he regains his breath. I can see his eyes darting about nervously between the three of us. "Now that's sorted, let's ask you a few questions."

"Why can't Aria be compelled?" Stefan asks, his pupils shrinking down the same way they did when he spoke to me.

"She's different. She's a- a nightfinder." This was news to me, but I could see him trying to resist the compulsion.

"What's a nightfinder?" Elena presses.

"I- I don't know. I wasn't sure that she was, but now that this has happened I'm pretty sure that she is."

"How do you know she's a nightfinder if you don't even know what one is?"

"Her mother is one."

"What?!" I burst out. "My mom's dead. You told me so."

He looks at me with a pained expression. "I'm sorry, Aria. I didn't want it to come out this way, but I can't stop telling them everything."

I look down at my hands for a moment, trying to make sense of it all. "So, she's alive? My mom's alive?"

My dad just nods. I pass my hand through my hair and stand up.

"I need some air, just give me a minute." No one says anything as I leave the room, but when I lean against the doorframe outside I hear muted voices coming through the walls. When I strain a little, I can make out Stefan's muffled voice.

"So you know absolutely nothing about nightfinders?" He asks my dad.

"Nothing. It was better for me not to know. But people are after them. I don't know why, but her mother had to go into hiding to keep us all safe. These people, I don't know who they are, are seriously dangerous. I've only ever seen them once. They have incredible strength and move faster than the eye can see. Please, if you care about Aria, don't tell anybody what you know." His voice trembles with fear, which twists a knot into my stomach. I slide down the wooden frame so I am sitting on the front step, and inside I hear someone get up and leave the room. When I look up, Stefan is standing next to me.

"You okay?" He sits down next to me on the step.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me any of this."

"He was trying to keep you safe. There are people out there that are out to get people like you."

"I know. I heard him tell you."

"Really? From out here?" Now he's pointed it out, it was a very long distance for me to listen from.

"Must be another nightfinder quirk." I shrug, and then change the subject. "So there are people after me?"

"Not yet. I guess if they find out what you are, then maybe."

"I wonder why." I hold out my hand in front of me, half expecting them to shoot out sparks or something else crazy. "I mean, I've always thought that I was, well, normal. I guess I was wrong, I'm just some kind of freak."

"No. You're not." He turns to face me. "You're normal. You even said it yourself. Having some kind of power that you don't even know about doesn't change who you are."

Slowly, he brings his hand up to my cheek and brushes it gently, but I stay frozen, staring into his eyes. I don't want to think about where he is going with this, as I've never done anything like this before.

"Aria?"

"Yeah?"

He leans closer, so his mouth is next to my ear, and whispers. "I think you're perfect."

Before I know it, his lips meet mine and mine meet his, and all the fears that had built up over this evening vanished completely. I wrap my arms around his neck and shut my eyes, and I feel his hands snake around my waist, and we would have stayed there forever if somebody hadn't cleared their throat loudly from behind us.


End file.
